System and method of providing control information to device regarding product

ABSTRACT

Controlling a consumer electronic applicant through a mobile terminal to execute functionality appropriate for processing a consumer product is performed by obtaining a device specification of the consumer electronic device and product information on the product to be processed, and generating a command that controls the consumer electronic device to execute the appropriate functionality for processing the product.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/858,145, filed Apr. 8, 2013, in the U.S. Patentand Trademark Office, which claims priority from Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2012-0036406, filed on Apr. 7, 2012, in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are hereinincorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Exemplary embodiments relate to a system and method of generatingcontrol information according to device information and productinformation, and providing the generated control information to adevice.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, the number of devices for processing products has increased. Auser has to decide a method of processing a product, for example, cook,wash, or reproduce an item of food, an item of clothing, or content.Also, the user has to know how to manipulate the devices for processingthe product using the selected method. Such inconveniences for the userare further intensified as types of products and methods of processingthe products vary, and functions of devices become increasingly complex.Accordingly, it is required to effectively generate and manage controlinformation of a device regarding a predetermined product.

SUMMARY

One or more exemplary embodiments provide a system and method ofproviding control information to a device regarding a product, whereinthe control information for processing the product is obtained by usingdevice information and product information.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided amethod of controlling a consumer electronic appliance through a mobileterminal, the method including: receiving device information of theconsumer electronic appliance at the terminal, the device informationcomprising at least one of an identifier of the consumer electronicappliance and an operational capability of the consumer electronicappliance; receiving product information of the product at the terminal,the product information comprising at least one of an identifier of theproduct, processing information for the product, and a property of theproduct; obtaining a command that controls the consumer electronicappliance to perform a process on the product based on the deviceinformation and the product information; and providing the command tothe consumer electronic appliance for causing the consumer electronicappliance to perform the process on the product.

The receiving device information may include receiving the deviceinformation using near field communication (NFC) between the terminaland the consumer electronic appliance, and the receiving productinformation may include receiving the product information using NFCcommunication between the terminal and the product.

The receiving device information may include receiving the deviceinformation from an NFC tag of the consumer electronic appliance, andthe receiving product information may include receiving the productinformation from an NFC tag of the product.

The device information may be NFC formatted data and the productinformation may be NFC formatted data.

The providing may include providing the command to the consumerelectronic appliance using NFC.

The command may be NFC formatted data.

The obtaining may include transmitting the device information and theproduct information to a server and receiving the command from theserver.

The receiving the command may include receiving the command from theserver as extensible markup language (XML) formatted data and convertingthe command from XML format to NFC format.

The obtaining may further include determining the process to beperformed on the product by the consumer electronic appliance based onthe device information and the product information, and the transmittingmay include transmitting comprises transmitting the device information,the product information, and the process to the server.

The obtaining may include determining the process to be performed on theproduct by the consumer electronic appliance based on the deviceinformation and the product information and generating the command basedon the process and the device information.

The consumer electronic appliance may be a first consumer electronicdevice and a second consumer electronic device, and the receiving deviceinformation may include receiving first device information of the firstconsumer electronic device, receiving second device information of thesecond consumer electronic device, selecting one of the first consumerelectronic device and the second consumer electronic device as aselected consumer electronic device based on the first deviceinformation, the second device information, and the product information,and selecting one of the first device information and the second deviceinformation of the selected consumer electronic device as the deviceinformation.

The consumer electronic appliance may include a first consumerelectronic device and a second consumer electronic device and thereceiving device information may include receiving first deviceinformation of the first consumer electronic device; receiving seconddevice information of the second consumer electronic device; displayinga list of the first consumer electronic device and the second consumerelectronic device; receiving an input selecting one of the firstconsumer electronic device and the second consumer electronic device inthe list as the selected consumer electronic device; and selecting oneof the first device information and the second device information of theselected consumer electronic device as the device information.

The product may be a first product and a second product, and thereceiving product information may include receiving first productinformation of the first product, receiving second product informationof the second product, selecting one of the first product and the secondproduct as a selected product based on the first product information,the second product information, and the device information, andselecting one of the first product information and the second productinformation of the selected product as the product information.

The product may be a first product and a second product, and thereceiving product information may include receiving first productinformation of the first product; receiving second product informationof the second product; selecting one of the first product and the secondproduct as a selected product based on the first product information,the second product information, and the device information; andselecting one of the first product information and the second productinformation of the selected product as the product information.

According to another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there isprovided a mobile terminal including: a memory for storing at least onea program that causes the mobile terminal to execute a method ofcontrolling a consumer electronic appliance through the mobile terminal;and a processor that executes the program, wherein the at least oneprogram comprises commands that control the mobile terminal to execute:receiving device information of the consumer electronic appliance at theterminal, the device information comprising at least one of anidentifier of the consumer electronic appliance and an operationalcapability of the consumer electronic appliance; receiving productinformation of the product at the terminal, the product informationcomprising at least one of an identifier of the product, a process to beperformed on the product, and a property of the product obtaining anoperational command that controls the consumer electronic appliance toexecute an operational process on the product based on the deviceinformation and the product information; and providing the operationalcommand to the consumer electronic appliance for causing the consumerelectronic appliance to perform the operational process on the product.

According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided anon-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon aprogram for controlling a consumer electronic appliance through themobile terminal, the method including receiving device information ofthe consumer electronic appliance at the terminal, the deviceinformation comprising at least one of an identifier of the consumerelectronic appliance and an operational capability of the consumerelectronic appliance, receiving product information of the product atthe terminal, the product information comprising at least one of anidentifier of the product, a process to be performed on the product, anda property of the product, obtaining an operational command thatcontrols the consumer electronic appliance to execute an operationalprocess on the product based on the device information and the productinformation, and providing the operational command to the consumerelectronic appliance for causing the consumer electronic appliance toperform the operational process on the product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects will become more apparent by describing indetail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attacheddrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for providing controlinformation of a device regarding a product, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal respectivelycollecting device information and product information from a washingmachine and a sweater, and providing control information of the washingmachine regarding the sweater to the washing machine, according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal receiving controlinformation corresponding to a device and a product from a server, andproviding the control information to the device, according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal displaying a listof control information for processing a product through a device, andproviding control information selected according to a user input to thedevice, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing a server generating a control commandbased on device information and product information received from amobile terminal, and providing the generated control command to adevice, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal generating controlinformation of a device in regard to a product, and providing thegenerated control information to the device, according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a table showing device information according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 8 is a table showing product information according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 9 is a table showing control functions matched according todevices, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a table showing control information for realizing apredetermined processing method, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a table showing information about a control history matchedto a product and a device, and stored in a mobile terminal, according toan exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal displaying aselection list of devices corresponding to a product, according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal displaying aselection list of products corresponding to a device, according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a diagram of a selection list for selecting a processingmethod for processing a product, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to anotherexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a device according to an exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 18 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal displaying adevice list and a product list on a screen and adding a device to thedevice list, according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal displaying aproduct list and a device list and adding a product to the product list,according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal receiving controlinformation and providing the received control information to a device,according to an exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 21 is a diagram for describing a mobile terminal distinguishing anddisplaying a product that has a control history, according to anexemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described more fully withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which the exemplaryembodiments are shown. The exemplary embodiments may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as beinglimited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseexemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of thedisclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the drawings,elements irrelevant to the description are not illustrated for clarityof description, and like reference numerals denote like elements.

It will be understood that when a component is “connected” to anothercomponent, it may be “directly connected” to the other component, or“electrically connected” via an intervening component. Also, when a unit“includes” or “comprises” a component, the unit may further includeanother component unless otherwise defined.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations ofone or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “atleast one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire listof elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

Device information may be one or more of information for identifying adevice and determining an attribute of the device, and may include atleast one of an identification value of the device, a product matchedwith the device, a function provided by the device, a control commandused in the device, and a link address for downloading the deviceinformation.

Also, product information may be one or more of information foridentifying a product and determining an attribute of the product, andmay include at least one of an identification value of the product, anattribute or property of the product, a type of the product, amanufacturer of the product, an identification value of a deviceregarding the product, a processing method of the product, and a linkaddress for downloading the product information. Examples of theprocessing method may include washing clothes, cooking foods, andexecuting contents, but are not limited thereto.

One or more exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail withreference to accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for providing controlinformation of a device regarding a product, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system according to the exemplary embodimentincludes a mobile terminal 1000, at least one device 2000, at least oneproduct 3000, and a server 4000.

The mobile terminal 1000 may obtain control information of the device2000 for processing the product 3000, and provide the obtained controlinformation to the device 2000, by using device information and productinformation. The mobile terminal is preferably a portable handheld userterminal, such as a smartphone, but may include other devices such aslaptops, personal digital assistants, and the like. The mobile terminal1000 may generate control information by using device information of thedevice 2000 and product information of the product 3000, butalternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide the deviceinformation and the product information to the server 4000, whichgenerates the control information, and receive the control informationfrom the server 4000. Then, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide thecontrol information to the device 2000.

The device 2000 provides the device information of the device 2000 tothe mobile terminal 1000, and receives the control information forprocessing the product 3000 from the mobile terminal 1000. Also, thedevice 2000 performs an operation based on the received controlinformation to process the product 3000. Examples of the device 2000include all types of devices capable of communicating with the mobileterminal 1000 and capable of receiving the control information from themobile terminal 1000. Examples the device 2000 may be a washing machine,an oven, a refrigerator, a TV, etc., but are not limited thereto.

The product 3000 provides the product information to the device 2000. Indetail, predetermined product information may be provided to the device2000, from a tag of the product 3000. The tag may be attached to orincluded in the product 3000. Alternatively, the tag may be attached toor included in a packaging of the product 3000. Examples of the product3000 that is to be processed through the device 2000 include clothes,foods, and contents, but are not limited thereto. Also, the productinformation may be provided to the mobile terminal 1000 from a separateapparatus (not shown) instead of the product 3000.

The server 4000 receives the device information and the productinformation from the mobile terminal 1000, and generates the controlinformation of the device 2000 for processing the product 3000. Theserver 4000 may generate the control information by checking aprocessing method of the product 3000 obtained from the productinformation, and determining control commands of operations of thedevice 2000 for performing the processing method on the product 3000.Also, the server 4000 may provide the generated control information tothe mobile terminal 1000 or the device 2000.

A method of providing the control information for processing the product3000 from the mobile terminal 1000 or the server 4000 to the device 2000in the system will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS.3 through 6.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 respectivelycollecting device information and product information from a washingmachine 2001 and a sweater 3100, and providing control information forprocessing the sweater 3100, according to product information of thesweater 3100, to the washing machine 2001, according to an exemplaryembodiment. In this regard, the washing machine 2001 is provided with aprocess for washing the sweater 3100 according to available functions ofthe washing machine 2001 and product information sweater 3100.

Referring to FIG. 2 (a), when the mobile terminal 1000 is within apredetermined distance from the washing machine 2001, the washingmachine 2001 transmits device information of the washing machine 2001 tothe mobile terminal 1000. For example, the device information of thewashing machine 2001 may be provided to the mobile terminal 1000 from anear field communication (NFC) tag attached to the washing machine 2001.Here, the device information may include a model name of the washingmachine 2001, a type of the washing machine 2001, a product that can bewashed by the washing machine 2001, a function provided by the washingmachine 2001, a control command used in the washing machine 2001, and alink address (uniform resource locator, etc.) for obtaining the deviceinformation. The device information stored in the NFC tag of the washingmachine 2001 may be formatted for transmission over NFC.

Also, referring to FIG. 2B, when the mobile terminal 1000 is within apredetermined distance from the sweater 3100, the sweater 3100 transmitsproduct information of the sweater 3100 to the mobile terminal 1000. Forexample, the product information of the sweater 3100 may be transmittedto the mobile terminal 1000 from an NFC tag attached to or included inthe sweater 3100. Here, the product information may include at least oneof a model name of the sweater 3100, a type of the sweater 3100, amanufacturer of the sweater 3100, an identification value of washingmachines able to wash the sweater 3100, a method of washing the sweater3100, and a link address for obtaining the product information. Theproduct information stored in the NFC tag of the sweater 3100 may beformatted for transmission over NFC.

Also, referring to FIG. 2C, the mobile terminal 1000 provides controlinformation to the washing machine 2001 for washing the sweater 3100according to functions available to the washing machine 2001 obtainedfrom the device information and properties of or constraints for washingthe sweater 3100 obtained from the product information. The mobileterminal 1000 may transmit the control information to the washingmachine 2001 via short range communication after obtaining the controlinformation based on the device information and the product information.Accordingly, the control information may be formatted for transmissionover NFC. When the mobile terminal 1000 directly generates the controlinformation based on the device information and the product information,the mobile terminal 1000 may check operations of the washing machine2001 for washing the sweater 3100 from the product information and thedevice information, and generate the control information using controlcommands of the washing machine 2001 corresponding to functions of thewashing machine 2001 based on the properties of or constraints forwashing the sweater 3100 obtained from the product information.Alternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 may relay the device informationand the product information to the server 4000, receive controlinformation generated by the server 4000, and provide the controlinformation to the washing machine 2001.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 receivingthe control information of the device 2000 for processing the product3000 from the server 4000, and providing the control information to thedevice 2000, according to an exemplary embodiment.

In operation S300, the mobile terminal 1000 receives the productinformation from the product 3000. In operation S300, the mobileterminal 1000 may receive the product information via short rangecommunication, from the tag of the product 3000. For example, theproduct information may be formatted and transmitted over NFC. The tagof the product 3000 may be included in or attached to the product 3000or may be attached to the packaging of the product 3000, but is notlimited thereto. When the mobile terminal 1000 is within a predeterminedrange of the tag, the mobile terminal 1000 may receive the productinformation from the tag. The mobile terminal 1000 may receive theproduct information from the tag of the product 3000, via NFC.Alternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 may receive the productinformation from a separate apparatus (not shown). Also, for example,when the product 3000 is a pizza, the product information may include atleast one of a model name of the pizza, a type of the pizza, amanufacturer of the pizza, an identification devices suitable forcooking the pizza, a cooking method of the pizza, and a link address forobtaining the product information or additional information about thepizza.

The mobile terminal 1000 may receive link information for downloadingthe product information, and in this case, the mobile terminal 1000 mayreceive the product information from a predetermined server (not shown)over a communication network using the link information.

Also, in operation S300, the mobile terminal 1000 may register and storethe received product information. The mobile terminal 1000 may store theproduct information in association with a time at which the productinformation was obtained and location information indicating a locationof the mobile terminal 1000 and/or product 3000 when the productinformation was obtained, but is not limited thereto. The mobileterminal may store the product information as NFC formatted data, or mayconvert the product information to a standard language format, such asXML format, and store the XML formatted product information.

In operation S302, the mobile terminal 1000 receives the deviceinformation from the device 2000. When the mobile terminal 1000 iswithin a predetermined range from the device 2000, the mobile terminal1000 may receive the device information from the device 2000 via shortrange communication. For example, the device information may beformatted and transmitted over NFC. When a user maneuvers the mobileterminal 1000 close to the device 2000, the mobile terminal 1000 mayreceive the device information from the device 2000 via NFC. Also, forexample, when the device 2000 is an oven, the device information mayinclude at least one of a model name of the oven, a product cooked bythe oven, a function provided by the oven, a control command used in theoven, and a link address for obtaining information about the oven. Also,the control command used in the device 2000 may be separately providedto the mobile terminal 1000 based on a request of the mobile terminal1000. For example, if the mobile terminal 1000 has never controlled thedevice 2000, the mobile terminal 1000 may request the device 2000 forthe control command. Alternatively, the control command used in thedevice 2000 may be provided in the mobile terminal 1000 in response to arequest of the device 2000.

The received device information may be stored in the mobile terminal1000. For example, the mobile terminal 1000 may register and store thedevice information about home appliances, such as a washing machine, adryer, an oven, a toaster, and a TV. The mobile terminal may store thedevice information as NFC formatted data, or may convert the deviceinformation to a standard language format, such as XML format, and storethe XML formatted device information.

Also, the registered device information may be used for the mobileterminal 1000 to select a device for processing the product 3000, whenthe mobile terminal 1000 receives the product information from theproduct 3000. For example, when the mobile terminal 1000 receivesproduct information from a pizza, the mobile terminal 1000 may choose anoven or a toaster as the device 2000 for cooking the pizza. In detail,the mobile terminal 1000 may check an identification value of a productcooked by the oven and an identification value of a product cooked bythe toaster from the device information of the oven and the toaster.Also, the mobile terminal 1000 may check an identification value of adevice for cooking the pizza from the product information. Then, themobile terminal 1000 may choose the oven or the toaster as the device2000 for cooking the pizza, based on the identification values.Alternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 may display a selection list forselecting at least one of the oven and the toaster, and choose the ovenas the device 2000 for cooking the pizza based on a user input fromamong the devices in the selection list.

Alternatively, in operation S302, the mobile terminal 1000 may receivelink information for downloading the device information from the device2000, and receive the device information from a predetermined server(not shown) over a communication network using the received linkinformation.

In operation S303, the mobile terminal 1000 selects the product 3000 andthe device 2000.

The mobile terminal 1000 may display at least one list of productinformation, and select a predetermined product based on a user inputselecting one of the products in the list of product information. Themobile terminal 1000 may display the list by grouping related products.For example, a pizza, a soup, and a stew may be grouped in a ‘food’category, and a shirt, a sweater, and pants may be grouped in a‘clothes’ category, but the grouping of related products is not limitedthereto. Also, the list of the product information may be distinguishedaccording to a time at which the product information is acquired and alocation of the mobile terminal 1000 when product information isacquired. If the device 2000 is selected first, a list of productinformation related to the selected device 2000 may be displayed. Forexample, if an oven is selected, a list of a pizza, a soup, and a stewrelated to the oven may be displayed.

If a product desired by the user is not in the list of the productinformation, the user may bring the mobile terminal 1000 withincommunication range of the desired product so that the mobile terminal1000 receives the product information of the desired product. Also, ifthe device 2000 is selected first, the mobile terminal 1000 may receivethe product information within a predetermined time after the device2000 is selected and select the product information if the productinformation is acquired within the predetermined time after the device2000 is selected.

Also, the mobile terminal 1000 may display a list of registered deviceinformation, and select a predetermined device based on a user input.The mobile terminal may display the list by grouping related devices.For example, an oven, a toaster, and a gas stove may be grouped in a‘cooking appliance’ category, but the grouping of related devices is notlimited thereto. Also, the list of the device information may bedistinguished according to time at which the device information isacquired and location of the mobile terminal 1000 when the deviceinformation is acquired. If the product 3000 is selected first, a listof devices related to the selected product 3000 may be displayed. Forexample, if a pizza is selected, a list of an oven and a toastersuitable for cooking the pizza may be displayed.

If a device desired by the user is not in the list of the deviceinformation, the user may bring the mobile terminal 1000 withincommunication range of the desired device so that the mobile terminal1000 receives the device information of the desired device. Also, if theproduct 3000 is selected first, the mobile terminal 1000 may receive thedevice information within a predetermined time after the product 3000 isselected and select the device information if the device information isacquired within the predetermined time after the product 3000 isselected.

In operation S304, the mobile terminal 1000 determines a processingmethod for processing the product 3000. In operation S304, the mobileterminal 1000 may display a list of processing methods for processingthe selected product 3000 through the selected device 2000. For example,if an oven and a pizza are selected, a list of cooking methods mayinclude a first cooking method (heat for 3 minutes at 140° C.) and asecond cooking method (heat for 4 minutes at 120° C.), and the list ofcooking methods may be displayed.

The list of processing methods may be generated based on a preference ofthe user. A history of processing methods selected by the user may beaccumulated by the mobile terminal 1000 and stored in the mobileterminal 1000, and the user's preference for processing a product may bedetermined based on the history. For example, for a food preparationmethod, it may be determined whether the user prefers food well-done orrare. Also, a recommendation list of cooking methods may be displayedbased on such preferences.

Alternatively, the list of processing methods may be generated based ona preference of another user. The other user may be a friend of the userof the mobile terminal 1000 or may have a similar taste as the user.Information about a processing history of the other user may be providedto the mobile terminal 1000 from a separate server (not shown), and themobile terminal 1000 may generate the list of processing methods basedon the history of the different user.

Also, in operation S304, the mobile terminal 1000 may determine theprocessing method through a social network service (SNS). For example,the mobile terminal 1000 may transmit information about the selectedproduct 3000 and the selected device 2000 to a predetermined SNS server(not shown) or a terminal (not shown) of another user using an SNS.Also, the mobile terminal 1000 may receive a comment of another userabout a processing method of the selected product 3000 from the SNSserver or the terminal of the other user. Accordingly, the user mayrefer to comments of other users to determine the method of processingthe selected product 3000, and transmit information about the processingmethod to the mobile terminal 1000.

In operation S305, the mobile terminal 1000 provides the deviceinformation, the product information, and processing information of theprocessing method to the server 4000. The mobile terminal may providethe device information, the product information, and processinginformation of the processing method to the server 4000 as NFC formatteddata, or may provide the information to the server 4000 as XML formatteddata. For example, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide deviceinformation of an oven and product information of a pizza to the server4000. Here, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide at least one of a modelname of the oven, a function provided by the oven, and a command used tocontrol the oven, from among the device information about the oven, butinformation provided by the mobile terminal 1000 is not limited thereto.Also, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide at least one of a model nameof the pizza, a manufacturer of the pizza, and a cooking method of thepizza, from among the product information of the pizza, but productinformation provided by the mobile terminal 1000 is not limited thereto.Also, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide the server 4000 withprocessing information of a method of cooking the pizza using the oven.For example, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide the server 4000 with atemperature value and a time value for cooking the pizza in the oven.

In operation S306, the server 4000 generates the control information ofthe device 2000 for processing the product 3000. In operation S306, theserver 4000 may generate the control information of the device 2000 forprocessing the product 3000 according to the processing method using thedevice information, the product information, and the processinginformation of the processing method. The server may check theprocessing method of the product 3000 against a stored database ofinformation formatted according to NFC, XML, or any other format, andselect a function to be executed in the device 2000 based on theprocessing method and the device information. Alternatively, the controlinformation may be generated by combining control commands of a selectedfunction. At this time, the control commands may be arranged accordingto a predetermined order. For example, the server 4000 may check thetemperature setting value and the time setting value for cooking thepizza. Also, the server 4000 may extract control commands for setting atemperature and a cooking time of the oven according to the temperaturevalue and time value, from the device information of the oven.Alternatively, the server 4000 may generate the control information bysequentially arranging a control command for activating the oven, acontrol command for setting a temperature of the oven, a control commandfor setting a cooking time of the oven, and a control command forexecuting a cooking function (bake, broil, etc.) of the oven.Alternatively, the server 4000 may receive information about the user'spreference from the mobile terminal 1000, determine a processing methodbased on the preference, and generate the control information.

In operation S308, the server 4000 transmits the control information tothe mobile terminal 1000. The server 4000 may provide the identificationvalue of the device 2000 and the identification value of the product3000, along with the control information generated in operation S306, tothe mobile terminal 1000. For example, the server 4000 may provide amodel name of the pizza and a model name of the oven to the mobileterminal 1000, along with the control command of the oven for cookingthe pizza. The server 4000 may transmit the control information andcontrol commands to the mobile terminal as NFC formatted data, or mayprovide the control information and control commands to the mobileterminal as XML formatted data.

Operation S304 may be omitted in FIG. 3. In this case, the mobileterminal 1000 may provide the product information and the deviceinformation and receive a control command for processing the product3000 from the server 4000, in operations S305 and S308. Here, the server4000 may generate control information according to a pre-determinedprocessing method matched to the product 3000 and the device 2000, andprovide the control information to the mobile terminal 1000.Alternatively, the server 4000 may receive the information about theuser's preference from the mobile terminal 1000, determine a processingmethod based on the preference, and generate control information.

In operation S310, the mobile terminal 1000 stores the controlinformation in association with the product 3000 and the device 2000.The mobile terminal 1000 may associate the control information with acombination of the product 3000 and the device 2000, and store theassociated information in a table, index, database, or the like.Alternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 may store a type, manufacturer,processing date, and method of processing the product 3000 together withthe associated information, and count information indicating a number oftimes the device 2000 is controlled according to processing methods ofthe product 3000. For example, the mobile terminal 1000 may store amodel name of the pizza, the model name of the oven, and a method (forexample, a cooking method at temperature: 140° C., for time: 3 minutes)of cooking the pizza in the oven, and may also store dates when thepizza was cooked and a number of times the cooking method is used.However, alternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 may store a userevaluation score according to processing methods. Here, the userevaluation score denotes a score rated by a user regarding a result ofprocessing a product according to a processing method.

Also, the matched information stored in operation S310 may be used todetermine the preference of the user from the user's history, and may beused by the mobile terminal 1000 to recommend a processing method forprocessing the product 3000.

In operation S312, the mobile terminal 1000 provides the controlinformation to the device 2000.

In operation S312, when the mobile terminal 1000 is within communicationrange of the device 2000, the mobile terminal 1000 may transmit thecontrol information to the device 2000 via short range communication. Ifthe mobile terminal 1000 stores the control information in NFC format,the mobile terminal 1000 provides the control information as NFCformatted data over NFC. If the mobile terminal 1000 stores the controlinformation in another format, such as XML, the mobile terminal convertsthe control information to NFC format and the mobile terminal 1000transmits the control information as NFC formatted data using NFC to thedevice 2000. For example, when the mobile terminal 1000 selects aprocessing method for processing the product 3000 and approaches thedevice 2000 within a predetermined time of selecting the processingmethod, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide control informationcorresponding to the processing method to the device 2000.

Also, when the mobile terminal 1000 approaches the device 2000 withinthe predetermined time, the mobile terminal 1000 may provide the controlinformation to the device 2000. For example, when the mobile terminal1000 approaches the device 2000 within a predetermined time after themobile terminal 1000 selects at least one of the product 3000 and thedevice 2000, the control information may be transmitted to the device2000 from the mobile terminal 1000.

In operation S314, the device 2000 performs an operation of the device2000 based on the received control information. The device 2000 mayprocess the product 3000 according to a predetermined method bysequentially performing the control commands included in the controlinformation.

Also, in operation S316, the device 2000 may store the controlinformation. The device 2000 may store the control information afterperforming the operation based on the control information. Then, whenthe device 2000 and the product 3000 are within communication range ofeach other, the device 2000 may receive the product information from theproduct 3000 and perform the operation of the device 2000 based on thereceived product information and the stored control information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 displaying alist of control information for processing the product 3000 using thedevice 2000, and providing control information selected according to auser input to the device 2000, according to an exemplary embodiment.

The mobile terminal 1000 receives the product information from theproduct 3000 in operation S400, and receives the device information fromthe device 2000 in operation S402. Also, the mobile terminal 1000selects the product 3000 and the device 2000 in operation S403, anddetermines a processing method for processing the product 3000 using thedevice 2000 in operation S404. Operations S400 through S404 mayrespectively correspond to operations S300 through S304, and thusdetails thereof are omitted for brevity.

In operation S405, the mobile terminal 1000 determines whether controlinformation for the selected product 3000, the selected device 2000, andthe determined processing method exists in the mobile terminal 1000. Themobile terminal 1000 may store the control information of the device2000 regarding the product 3000. Also, the mobile terminal 1000 maydetermine whether control information corresponding to the selectedproduct 3000, the selected device 2000, and the determined processingmethod is stored based on previously stored information.

If the control information is stored in the mobile terminal 1000(S405—YES), the mobile terminal 1000 extracts the control information inoperation S406.

If the control information is not stored in the mobile terminal 1000(S405—NO), the mobile terminal 1000 requests the server 4000 for thecontrol information in operation S410. In operation S410, the mobileterminal 1000 may provide the product information of the selectedproduct 3000, the device information of the selected device 2000, andinformation about the determined processing method to the server 4000.

In operation S412, the server 4000 generates the control information ofthe device 2000 for processing the product 3000. In operation S412, theserver 4000 may generate the control information by using the deviceinformation, the product information, and the processing information ofthe processing method received from the mobile terminal 1000. The server4000 may check the processing method of the product 3000, and select afunction to be executed in the device 2000 based on the processingmethod. Also, the server 4000 may generate the control information bycombining control commands for the selected function. Here, the controlcommands may be arranged according to a predetermined order.

In operation S414, the server 4000 transmits the control information tothe mobile terminal 1000. The server 4000 may provide the identificationvalue of the device 2000 and the identification value of the product3000, together with the control information generated in operation S414,to the mobile terminal 1000.

In operation S416, the mobile terminal 1000 provides the receivedcontrol information or the extracted control information to the device2000. If the mobile terminal 1000 is within communication range of thedevice 2000, the mobile terminal 1000 may transmit the controlinformation to the device 2000 via short range communication. Forexample, when the mobile terminal 1000 selects the processing method forprocessing the product 3000 and approaches the device 2000 within apredetermined time from selecting the processing method, the mobileterminal 1000 may provide the device 2000 with the control informationfor processing the product 3000 according to the processing method.

Also, when the mobile terminal 1000 is within communication range of thedevice 2000 within a predetermined time, the mobile terminal 1000 mayprovide the control information to the device 2000. For example, whenthe mobile terminal 1000 approaches the device 2000 within apredetermined time after the mobile terminal 1000 selects at least oneof the product 3000 and the device 2000, the control information may betransmitted from the mobile terminal 1000 to the device 2000.

In operation S418, the device 2000 performs an operation based on thereceived control information. The device 2000 may process the product3000 according to a predetermined method by sequentially performingcontrol commands included in the control information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing the server 4000 generating a controlcommand based on device information and product information receivedfrom the mobile terminal 1000, and providing the generated controlcommand to the device 3000, according to an exemplary embodiment.

The mobile terminal 1000 receives the product information from theproduct 3000 in operation S500, and receives the device information fromthe device 2000 in operation S502. Also, the mobile terminal 1000selects the product 3000 and the device 2000 in operation S503, anddetermines a processing method for processing the product 3000 inoperation S504. Operations S500 through S504 may respectively correspondto operations S300 through S304, and thus details thereof are omittedfor brevity.

In operation S505, the mobile terminal 1000 requests the server 4000 forthe control information In operation S505, the mobile terminal 1000 mayprovide the product information of the selected product 3000, the deviceinformation of the selected device 2000, and information about thedetermined processing method to the server 4000.

In operation S506, the server 4000 generates the control information ofthe device 2000 for processing the product 3000 according to theprocessing method. In operation S506, the server 4000 may generate thecontrol information by using the device information, the productinformation, and the processing information of the processing methodreceived from the mobile terminal 1000. The server 4000 may check theprocessing method of the product 3000, and select a function to beexecuted by the device 2000 based on the processing method. Then, theserver 4000 may generate the control information by combining controlcommands of the selected function. Here, the control commands may bearranged according to a predetermined order.

In operation S508, the server 4000 provides the control information tothe device 2000. Here, the device 2000 and the server 4000 may transmitand receive data with each other via a predetermined communicationchannel, and the server 4000 may provide the control information to thedevice 2000 via the predetermined communication channel. The server 4000may receive communication information about the device 2000, such as aphone number or an Internet protocol (IP) address, from the mobileterminal 1000, and provide the control information directly to thedevice 2000 based on the communication information.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 generatingcontrol information of the device 2000 about the product 3000, andproviding the generated control information to the device 2000,according to an exemplary embodiment.

The mobile terminal 1000 may receive the product information from theproduct 3000 in operation S600, and receive the device information fromthe device 2000 in operation S602. Also, the mobile terminal 1000selects the product 3000 and the device 2000 in operation S603, anddetermines a processing method for processing the product 3000 inoperation S604. Operations S600 through S604 may respectively correspondto operation S300 through S304, and thus details thereof are omitted forbrevity.

Also, in operation S604, the mobile terminal 1000 may receiveinformation for determining the processing method from an externalsource, such as a website of a manufacturer of the product 3000. Theinformation for determining the processing method may include processingmethods and evaluation information of the user regarding the processingmethods. The evaluation information denotes information related toevaluation on a result of processing a product according to theprocessing method, and may include an evaluation score or a usercomment, but is not limited thereto. The mobile terminal 1000 mayconnect to the website by using a link address of the website includedin the product information, and receive the information for determiningthe processing method from the website. If the link address is notincluded in the product information, the mobile terminal 1000 may obtainthe link address from a separate search server (not shown) by using atleast one of a type of the product 3000, a model name of the product3000, and the manufacturer of the product 3000, included in the productinformation. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 may receive theinformation for determining the processing method through an SNS.

In operation S606, the mobile terminal 1000 generates the controlinformation of the device 2000 for processing the product 3000. Inoperation S606, the mobile terminal 1000 may generate the controlinformation using the device information, the product information, andthe determined processing method. The mobile terminal 1000 may check theprocessing method of the product 3000, and select a function to beexecuted by the device 2000 according to the processing method.Alternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 may generate the controlinformation by combining control commands of the selected function.Here, the control commands may be arranged according to a predeterminedorder. For example, the mobile terminal 1000 may check a temperaturevalue and a time value for cooking a pizza. Also, the mobile terminal1000 may extract control commands for setting a temperature and acooking time of an oven according to the temperature value and timevalue, from device information of the oven. Alternatively, the mobileterminal 1000 may generate the control information by sequentiallyarranging a control command for turning on the oven, a control commandfor setting the temperature of the oven, a control command for settingthe cooking time of the oven, and a control command for executing acooking function of the oven.

In operation S606, the mobile terminal 1000 may receive information forgenerating the control information from a web site of a manufacturer ofthe device 2000. The mobile terminal 1000 may connect to the website byusing a link address of the website included in the device information,and receive the information for generating the control information fromthe website. For example, the mobile terminal 1000 may receiveinformation about a control command supported by the device 2000. If thelink address is not included in the device information, the mobileterminal 1000 may obtain the link address from a separate search server(not shown) by using at least one of a type of the device 2000, a modelname of the device 2000, and a manufacturer of the device 2000 includedin the device information. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 1000 mayreceive the information for generating the control information through aSNS.

In operation S608, the mobile terminal 1000 associates the controlinformation with the product 3000 and the device 2000, and stores theassociated information. The mobile terminal 1000 may associate thecontrol information with a combination of the product 3000 and thedevice 2000, and store the associated information in a table, index,database, or the like. Also, the mobile terminal 1000 may store theassociated information with a type, manufacturer, processing date, andprocessing method of the product 3000, and count and store a number oftimes the device 2000 is controlled according to processing methods ofthe product 3000. For example, the mobile terminal 1000 may store themodel name of the pizza, the model name of the oven, and the method (forexample, temperature: 140° C., time: 3 minutes) of cooking the pizza inthe oven, and may also store the dates when the pizza was cooked and thenumber of times the method has been used. The mobile terminal 1000 maystore a user evaluation score according to processing methods.

Also, the information stored in operation S608 may be used to determinea preference of the user, or may be used by the mobile terminal 1000 torecommend a processing method for processing the product 3000.

In operation S610, the mobile terminal 1000 provides the controlinformation to the device 2000. In operation S610, if the mobileterminal 1000 is within a communication range of the device 2000, themobile terminal 1000 may transmit the control information to the device2000 via short range communication. For example, when the mobileterminal 1000 selects the processing method for processing the product3000 and is within communication range of the device 2000 within apredetermined time after the selection, the mobile terminal 1000 mayprovide the control information corresponding to the determinedprocessing method to the device 2000.

Also, when the mobile terminal 1000 is within communication range of thedevice 2000 within a predetermined time, the mobile terminal 1000 mayprovide the control information to the device 2000. For example, whenthe mobile terminal 1000 is within communication range of the device 200within a predetermined time after the mobile terminal 1000 selects atleast one of the product 3000 and the device 2000, the controlinformation may be provided from the mobile terminal 1000 to the device2000.

In operation S612, the device 2000 performs an operation based on thereceived control information. The device 2000 may process the product3000 according to a predetermined method by sequentially performingcontrol commands included in the control information.

FIG. 7 is a table showing device information according to an exemplaryembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7, the table may include a type field 70, a model namefield 71, a manufacturer field 72, a target product field 73, and afunction field 74.

A type of the device 2000, such as an oven, a washing machine, or a TV,is recorded in the type field 70. The type field 70 is a field thatdescribes the device 2000, and may include various information. Also, amodel name of the device 2000 is recorded in the model name field 71,and a manufacturer of the device 2000 is recorded in the manufacturerfield 72. A type value of the device 2000 may be used to recommend thedevice 2000 related to the product 3000 or determine the device 2000corresponding to the product 3000, but is not limited thereto.

Also, a type of the product 3000 to be processed by the device 2000 isrecorded in the target product field 73. For example, when the device2000 is an oven, a pizza, a soup, or a stew may be recorded in thetarget product field 73, and when the device 2000 is a washing machine,shirt, jeans, or suits may be recorded in the target product field 73.Alternatively, for example, when the device 2000 is a TV, an extensionname of a content file supported by the TV may be recorded. The targetproduct field 73 may be used to generate a list of product informationrelated to the device 2000 or to select the product 3000 correspondingto the device 2000, but is not limited thereto.

Also, information about a function provided by the device 2000 isrecorded in the function field 74. For example, when the device 2000 isthe oven, functions of the oven may be stored in the function field 74:on, off, select mode, set temperature, set time, and a cook command tobegin cooking according to the mode, temperature, and time. Suchinformation about a function supported by the device 2000 may be usedgenerate control commands for causing the device 2000 to execute theprocessing method.

The device information may be formatted for transmission over NFC, andtherefore short range communication may be performed between the mobileterminal 1000 and the device 2000 for exchanging the device information.

FIG. 8 is a table showing product information according to an exemplaryembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, the table may include a type field 80, a productidentification (ID) field 81, a manufacturer field 82, a device field83, and a processing method field 84.

A type of the product 3000, such as a pizza or a sweater, is recorded inthe type field 80. A type value of the product 3000 may be used torecommend the products 3000 related to the device 2000 for processing bythe device or to determine the product 3000 corresponding to the device2000, but is not limited thereto. The type field 80 is a field thatdescribes the product, and may include various information. Also, amodel name of the product 3000 may be recorded in the product ID field81, and a manufacturer of the product 3000 may be recorded in themanufacturer field 82.

Also, at least one of a type and a model name of the device 2000 capableof processing the product 3000 may be recorded in the device field 83.The device field 83 may be used to generate a list of device informationrelated to the product 3000, or to select the device 2000 correspondingto the product 3000, but is not limited thereto.

Also, information about a processing method for processing the product3000 using the device 2000 is recorded in the processing method field84. For example, when the product 3000 is a pizza having a model name‘Pi-12-001’ and the device 2000 is an oven having a model name‘Ov-12-001’, a processing method ‘temperature: 140° C., time: 3 minutes’may be recorded in the processing method field 84. The information aboutthe processing method included in the product information may bepredetermined by a manufacturer while manufacturing the product 3000,but is not limited thereto. Also, the information recorded in theprocessing method field 84 may be used to determine control commandscorresponding to functions of the device 2000 are to be used by theserver 4000 or the mobile terminal 1000 to generate the controlinformation for controlling the device 2000 to execute the process onthe product 3000.

The product information may be formatted for transmission over NFC, andtherefore short range communication may be performed between the mobileterminal 1000 and the product 3000 for exchanging the productinformation.

FIG. 9 is a table showing control functions supported by the devices2000, according to an embodiment exemplary.

Referring to FIG. 9, the table may include a model name field 90, amanufacturer field 91, and a control function field 92. A model name ofthe device 2000 may be recorded in the model name field 90, and amanufacturer of the device 2000 may be recorded in the manufacturerfield 91. Also, information about a control function provided by thedevice 2000 may be recorded in the control function field 92. Forexample, control functions of on, off, select mode, increase cookingtemperature, decrease cooking temperature, input temperature value,increase cooking time, decrease cooking time, input cooking time, andstart cooking may be recorded with respect to an oven having a modelname ‘Ov-12-001’.

Also, although not illustrated in FIG. 9, control commands correspondingto each control function may be recorded in the table. The controlcommands are commands that may be interpreted by the device 2000 tocontrol the device 2000 to perform a function. For example, a controlcommand may be an ‘ON’ command that causes the device 2000 to beactivated.

Information about the control functions and control commands may be usedto determine which control functions are to be selected for the device2000 or the server 4000 to realize a processing method for causing thedevice 2000 to process the product 3000.

Also, the information about the control functions may be included in thedevice information and provided from the device 2000 to the mobileterminal 1000 or the server 4000, but is not limited thereto. The mobileterminal 1000 or the server 4000 may receive such information from aseparate server (not shown) by using an identification value of thedevice 2000.

FIG. 10 is a table showing control information for realizing apredetermined processing method, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 10, the table may include a product ID field 10, adevice ID field 11, a processing method field 12, and a controloperation field 13. A model name of the product 3000 may be recorded inthe product ID field 10, and a model name of the device 2000 may berecorded in the device ID field 11. Also, information about a processingmethod for processing the product 3000 may be recorded in the processingmethod field 12, and a detailed operation of the device 2000 foroperating the device 2000 according to the processing method may berecorded in the control operation field 13. For example, when a pizza isto be heated for 5 minutes at 120° C., an operation of turning on anoven, an operation of inputting 120° C. as a temperature value to theoven, an operation of inputting 5 minutes as a cooking time to the oven,and an operation of starting cooking may be sequentially arranged ascontrol operations of the oven and commands corresponding to the controloperations may be transmitted to the oven to execute the method ofprocessing the product. Also, although not illustrated in FIG. 10, thecontrol command corresponding to each control operation may also berecorded in the table. The control command may be formatted such thatthe device is able to interpret the control command. Further, thecontrol commands transmitted to the device 2000 may be formatted fortransmission over NFC, and therefore short range communication may beperformed between the mobile terminal 1000 and the device 2000 forexchanging the control commands. Such control information may begenerated by the mobile terminal 1000 or provided from the server 4000to the mobile terminal 1000. Also, by providing the control informationfrom the mobile terminal 1000 to the device 2000, the device maysequentially execute predetermined functions for executing the method ofprocessing the product. FIG. 11 is a table showing information about acontrol history associated with the product 3000 and the device 2000,and stored in the mobile terminal 1000, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 11, the table may include a type field 20, a productID field 21, a manufacturer field 22, a device field 23, a processingdate field 24, a processing method field 25, and a count field 26.

A type value of the product 3000 may be recorded in the type field 20and a model name of the product 3000 may be recorded in the product IDfield 21. Also, a manufacturer of the product 3000 may be recorded inthe manufacturer field 22, and a type and model name of the device 2000that processed the product 3000 may be recorded in the device field 23.Also, a processing date indicating when the product 3000 is processedmay be recorded in the processing date field 24 and information about aprocessing method of the product 3000 may be recorded in the processingmethod field 25. The processing date field 24 may indicate multipledates, but may also indicated only a most recent date. Also, the countfield 26 stores a number of times the process was performed by theproduct 3000 on the device 2000 using the processing method.

Also, although not illustrated in FIG. 11, the table may further includeinformation about a function and a control command of the device 2000for processing the product 3000 according to the processing method.

A device 2000 may be recommended for processing a selected product 3000based on the table. Alternatively, a product 3000 for processing by thedevice 2000 may recommend based on the table. Alternatively, the mobileterminal 1000 may generate control commands of a device 2000 forprocessing a product 3000 based on the table.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 displayinga selection list of the devices 2000 for processing a product, accordingto an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 12, when the mobile terminal 1000 is withincommunication range of a pizza 3200, the mobile terminal 1000 mayreceive product information from a tag included in packaging of thepizza 3200 and select the pizza 3200 as a process target.

Then, the mobile terminal 1000 may recommend the device 2000 for cookingthe pizza 3200 based on at least one of product information about thepizza 3200, pre-stored device information, and pre-stored informationabout a control history. In FIG. 12, an oven and a gas stove, which arerecommended by the mobile terminal 1000, are displayed on a device list,and a user may select the oven by touching an icon 40. Alternatively,the user may add a new device 2000 for cooking the pizza 3200 bytouching an icon 42. Here, device information of the new device may bereceived and registered when the mobile terminal 1000 is withincommunication range of the new device within a predetermined time afterthe icon 42 is touched, but the receiving and registering of the deviceinformation is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 12, an example of displaying a device list forprocessing a product determined by the mobile terminal 1000 isdescribed, but is not limited thereto.

The mobile terminal 1000 may determine a product, and generate controlinformation for processing the product with respect to devicesregistered in the mobile terminal 1000. For example, when the mobileterminal 1000 determines the pizza 3200 as the product, controlinformation for processing the pizza 3200 with respect to the oven andthe gas stove registered in the mobile terminal 1000 may be generated.

Then, the mobile terminal 1000 may approach a predetermined device,identify the predetermined device, extract control information about thepredetermined device, and provide the control information to thepredetermined device. For example, when the mobile terminal 1000 iswithin communication range the oven, the mobile terminal 1000 mayidentify the oven and provide control information for the oven toprocess the product from among information in the mobile terminal 1000.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 displayinga selection list of the products 3000 corresponding to the device 2000,according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 13, when the mobile terminal 1000 is withincommunication range of an oven 2200, the mobile terminal 1000 receivesdevice information from the oven 2200 and may select the oven 2200 as adevice for processing the product 3000. Then, the mobile terminal 1000may recommend the product 3000 to be cooked by the oven 2200, based onat least one of the device information of the oven 2200, productinformation, and information about a control history. In FIG. 13, pizzaand spaghetti, which are products recommended by the mobile terminal1000 to be processed by the oven 2200, are displayed on a product list,and a user may select the pizza by touching an icon 44. Also, the usermay add a new product 3000 to be cooked by the oven 2200 by touching anicon 46. Here, product information may be received and registered if themobile terminal 1000 is within a communication range of the new productwithin a predetermined time after the icon 46 is touched, but receivingand registering of product information are not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 13, the mobile terminal 1000 displays the selectionlist of products 3000 regarding one device 2000, but is not limitedthereto. The mobile terminal 1000 may display a selection list ofproducts regarding a plurality of devices. For example, the mobileterminal 1000 may receive device information by sequentially approachingthe oven 2200 and a refrigerator (not shown), and display a selectionlist of the products that may be cooked by the oven 2200 from amongproducts stored in the refrigerator. In this case, the mobile terminal1000 may associate product information with the plurality of devices andstore the associated information.

FIG. 14 is a diagram of a selection list for selecting a processingmethod for processing a product, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 14, the mobile terminal 1000 may display a list ofcooking methods for cooking a pizza using an oven. For example, when theoven and the pizza are selected as the product and device, the mobileterminal 1000 may display a list of a first cooking method (heat for 3minutes at 140° C.) and a second cooking method (heat for 5 minutes at120° C.). Such a list may be generated based on information about acontrol history, but is not limited thereto. The list may be generatedbased on a preference of a user, such as the frequency with which eachmethod is selected by the user.

The user may touch an icon 50 to select the first cooking method, ortouch an icon 52 to change or add a predetermined cooking method.Cooking methods selected by the user may be accumulated and stored inthe mobile terminal 1000 to generate a history.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the mobile terminal 1000 according to anexemplary embodiment. The mobile terminal 1000 may include a mobilecommunication unit 1001, a sub communication unit 1002, a broadcastingunit 1003, a camera unit 10004, a sensor unit 1005, a global positioningsystem (GPS) receiving unit 1006, an input and output (I/O) unit 1010, atouch screen controller 1017, a touch screen 1018, a power supply unit1019, a control unit 1050 (CPU), and a memory 1060.

The mobile communication 1001 performs call set up, data communication,etc. with a base station through a cellular network, such as a thirdGeneration (3G) or fourth Generation (4G) network. The sub communicationunit 1002 performs communication, such as near field communication(NFC), Zigbee, Wifi, or Bluetooth network communication. A broadcastingunit 1003 receives a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) signal.

The camera unit 1004 includes a lens and optical devices for capturing astill image or a moving image.

The sensor unit 1005 may include a gravity sensor for detecting movementof the mobile terminal 1000, an illumination sensor for detectingbrightness of light, a proximity sensor for detecting a proximity degreeof a person, and a motion sensor for detecting movement of the person.

The global positioning system (GPS) receiving unit 1006 receives a GPSsignal from a satellite. Various services may be provided to the user byusing such a GPS signal.

The input and output unit 1010 provides an interface with an externaldevice or a person, and includes a button 1011, a microphone 1012, aspeaker 1013, a vibration motor 1014, a connector 1015, and a keypad1016.

A touch screen 1018 receives a touch input of the user. Also, a touchscreen controller 1017 transmits the touch input received through thetouch screen 1018 to a control unit 1050. A power supply unit 1019 isconnected to a battery or an external power source to supply power tothe mobile terminal 1000.

The control unit 1050 controls the mobile terminal 1000 and executesprograms stored in a memory 1060.

The programs stored in the memory 1060 may be classified into aplurality of modules according to functions. In other words, theprograms may be classified into a mobile communication module 1061, aWiFi module 1062, a Bluetooth module 1063, a DMB module 1064, a cameramodule 1065, a sensor module 1066, a GPS module 1067, a moving imagereproduction module 1068, an audio reproduction module 1069, a powersupply module 1070, a touch screen module 1071, a user interface (UI)module 1072, and an application module 1073.

Functions of each module may be intuitively inferred by one of ordinaryskill in the art based on its name, and each module may correspond to aset of control commands for performing at least one function describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 through 6.

For example, a short range communication module (not shown) may receiveproduct information and device information. The short rangecommunication module may include the Bluetooth module 1063 and the WiFimodule 1062, but is not limited thereto.

Also, for example, the application module 1073 may register the deviceinformation and the product information, and select a processing methodfor processing the product 3000 using the device 2000. Alternatively,for example, the application module 1073 may provide at least one of theproduct information, the device information, and the processing methodto the server 4000, and receive control information from the server 4000by using the mobile communication unit 1001 and the sub communicationunit 1002. Alternatively, for example, the application module 1073 maygenerate control information by using the product information, thedevice information, and information about the processing method, and theshort range communication module may provide the control information tothe device 2000 via short range communication.

Also, for example, the memory 1060 may store the device information andthe product information, and the UI module 1072 may generate and displaya selection list of devices, a selection list of products, and aselection list of processing methods.

Also, for example, the memory 1060 may store information about a controlhistory, and the application module 1073 may determine the user'spreference of the product 3000, the device 2000, and the processingmethod.

Control commands may not be executed according to a separate softwareprogram, procedure, or module. The memory 1060 may include additionalcontrol commands or lesser control commands. In addition, variousfunctions of a device may be performed by hardware and/or softwareincluding one or more signal processing and/or application specifiedintegrated circuits (IC s).

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of the mobile terminal 1000 according toanother exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 16, the mobile terminal 1000 includes a transceivingunit 1100, a product determining unit 1200, a device determining unit1300, a processing method obtaining unit 1400, a control informationobtaining unit 1500, a storage unit 1600, and a control unit 1700.

The transceiving unit 1100 receives the product information from theproduct 3000. The transceiving unit 1100 may receive the productinformation from the tag of the product 3000, via short rangecommunication. The tag may be included in or attached to the product3000, or attached to a packaging of the product 3000, but is not limitedthereto. The received product information may be registered and storedin the storage unit 1600. The received product information may be storedaccording to times and locations.

Also, the transceiving unit 1100 receives the device information fromthe device 2000. When the mobile terminal 1000 approaches the device2000 to within a predetermined range, the transceiving unit 1100 mayreceive the device information from the device 2000 via short rangecommunication. The transceiving unit 1100 may store the received deviceinformation in the storage unit 1600. For example, the transceiving unit1100 may store device information of home appliances, such as a washingmachine, a drier, an oven, a toaster, and a TV.

Also, the transceiving unit 1100 transmits control information to thedevice 2000. If it is determined that the mobile terminal 1000 is withincommunication range of the device 2000, the transceiving unit 1100 maytransmit the control information to the device 2000 via short rangecommunication.

The product determining unit 1200 may display a list of stored productinformation, and select a predetermined product based on a user input.The product determining unit 1200 may display the list by groupingrelated products together. For example, a pizza, a soup, and a stew maybe grouped in a ‘food’ category, and a shirt, a sweater, and pants maybe grouped in a ‘clothes’ category, but the grouping of the relatedproducts is not limited thereto. Also, selection lists of productinformation may be distinguished and displayed according to times whenthe selection lists are displayed and locations of the mobile terminal1000. Also, when the device 2000 is selected first, a selection list ofproduct information related to the device 2000 may be displayed. Forexample, when an oven is selected, a selection list of a pizza, a soup,and a stew, which are related to the oven, may be displayed.

When the list of product information does not include a product desiredby the user, the user may maneuver the mobile terminal 1000 withincommunication range of the desired product so that the productdetermining unit 1200 may receive product information and select thereceived product information. Alternatively, when the device determiningunit 1300 selects the device 2000, the transceiving unit 1100 mayreceive product information within a predetermined time after the devicedetermining unit 1300 selects the device 2000.

The device determining unit 1300 may display a list of registered deviceinformation, and select a predetermined device based on a user input.The device determining unit 1300 may group and display related devices.For example, an oven, a toaster, and a gas stove may be grouped in a‘cooking appliance’ category, but the grouping of related devices is notlimited thereto. Selection lists of device information may bedistinguished and displayed according to times when the selection listsare displayed and locations of the mobile terminal 1000. Also, when aproduct is selected first, a selection list of devices related to theselected product may be displayed. For example, when a pizza isselected, a selection list of an oven and a toaster, which are relatedto the pizza, may be displayed.

If the list of device information does not include a device desired bythe user, the user may maneuver the mobile terminal 1000 withincommunication range of the desired device so that the transceiving unit1100 receives device information and the device determining unit 1300selects the desired device. Alternatively, when the product determiningunit 1200 selects the product 3000, the transceiving unit 1100 mayreceive device information within a predetermined time after the productdetermining unit 1200 selects the product 3000.

The processing method obtaining unit 1400 obtains a processing methodfor processing the determined product using the determined device. Theprocessing method processing unit 1400 may display a list of processingmethods for processing the product by using the device. For example,when an oven and a pizza are determined as a device and a product, alist of a first cooking method (heat for 3 minutes at 140° C.) and asecond cooking method (heat for 4 minutes at 120° C.) may be displayed.

The list of processing methods may be generated based on a preference ofthe user. Processing methods selected by the user may be stored in thestorage unit 1600 and the preference of the user for a predeterminedproduct may be determined based on the stored processing methods. Forexample, regarding a cooking method for cooking foods, a preference ofthe user, whether the user prefers the food well-done or rare, may bedetermined. Also, a recommendation list of cooking methods may bedisplayed based on the preference of the user.

Alternatively, the list of processing methods may be generated based ona preference of another user. The other user may be a friend of the useror a user having similar tastes as the user. Information of a processinghistory of the other user may be provided to the mobile terminal 1000from a separate server (not shown), and the processing method obtainingunit 1400 may generate the list of processing methods based on thereceived information about the processing history.

Alternatively, the processing method obtaining unit 1400 may obtain aprocessing method through a SNS. For example, the processing methodobtaining unit 1400 may transmit information about the determinedproduct and determined device to a terminal (not shown) of the otheruser using a predetermined SNS server (not shown) or the SNS server.Then, the processing method obtaining unit 1400 may receive a comment ofanother user about a processing method from the SNS server or theterminal of the other user. Accordingly, the user may determine theprocessing method by referring to the comment of the other user, andinput information about the processing method to the mobile terminal1000.

The control information obtaining unit 1500 obtains control informationof the device 2000 regarding the product 3000. The control informationobtaining unit 1500 provides the device information, the productinformation, and the information about the processing method to theserver 4000, and receives the control information from the server 4000.Alternatively, the control information obtaining unit 1500 may onlyprovide the product information and the device information to the server4000, and receive the control information from the server 4000.

Alternatively, the control information obtaining unit 1500 may generatethe control information of the device 2000 regarding the product 3000.The control information obtaining unit 1500 may generate the controlinformation using the device information, the product information, andthe information about the processing method. The control informationobtaining unit 1500 may check the processing method of the product 3000,and select a function to be executed by the device 2000 based on theprocessing method. Alternatively, the control information may begenerated using control commands for causing the device to execute theselected function. In this case, the control commands may be arrangedaccording to a predetermined order. For example, the control informationobtaining unit 1500 may obtain a temperature value and a time value forcooking a pizza. Also, the control information obtaining unit 1500 mayextract control commands for setting a temperature and cooking time ofan oven according to the temperature value and the time value, fromdevice information about the oven. Then, the control informationobtaining unit 1500 may generate control information by sequentiallyarranging a control command for turning on the oven, a control commandfor setting a temperature of the oven, a control command for setting acooking time of the oven, and a control command for starting cooking inthe oven.

Alternatively, the control information obtaining unit 1500 may receiveinformation for generating control information from a website of amanufacturer of a device. The control information obtaining unit 1500may connect to the website using an address of the website included indevice information, and receive the information for generating thecontrol information from the website. For example, the controlinformation obtaining unit 1500 may receive information about controlcommands supported by the device. If the device information does notinclude the address, the control information obtaining unit 1500 mayobtain the address from a separate search server (not shown) by using atleast one of a type, a module name, and a manufacturer of the deviceincluded in the device information. Alternatively, the controlinformation obtaining unit 1500 may receive the information forgenerating the control information through a SNS.

The storage unit 1600 stores control information. The storage unit 1600may store and associate the product information, the device information,the preference of the user, and the control information.

The control unit 1700 controls the overall operations of the mobileterminal 1000, and controls the transceiving unit 1100, the productdetermining unit 1200, the device determining unit 1300, the processingmethod obtaining unit 1400, the control information obtaining unit 1500,and the storage unit 1600 such that the mobile terminal 1000 obtains thecontrol information of the device 2000 for processing the product 3000based on the product information and the device information and providesthe obtained control information to the device 2000.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the device 2000 according to an exemplaryembodiment.

As shown in FIG. 17, the device 2000 includes a control informationstorage unit 2100, a product information receiving unit 2200, a controlinformation determining unit 2300, an operation performing unit 2400,and a control unit 2500.

The control information storage unit 2100 stores control informationreceived from the mobile terminal 1000. The control information storageunit 2100 may store the control information received from the mobileterminal 1000, and operations of the device 2000 may be controlled basedon the stored control information.

The product information receiving unit 2200 receives product informationfrom the product 3000. The product information receiving unit 2200 mayreceive the product information from a tag of the product 3000 via shortrange communication. For example, when the product 3000 is within acommunication range of the device 2000 the product information receivingunit 2200 may receive the product information from the tag of theproduct 3000 via NFC communication. The tag may be included in orattached to the product 3000, or attached to a packaging of the product3000, but is not limited thereto.

The control information determining unit 2300 determines controlinformation for performing operations of the device 2000 based on thereceived product information. The control information determining unit2300 may check an identification value of the product 3000 from thereceived product information, and extract control informationcorresponding to the checked identification value from the controlinformation storage unit 2100. Also, the control information determiningunit 2300 may determine the extracted control information as controlinformation for performing the operations of the device 2000.

The control information determining unit 2300 may display a list ofextracted control information, and determine control informationselected based on a user input as the control information for performingthe operations of the device 2000.

Meanwhile, if the control information corresponding to the receivedproduct information does not exist in the control information storageunit 2100, the control information determining unit 2300 may receivecontrol information from the mobile terminal 1000. Then, the controlinformation determining unit 2300 may determine the received controlinformation as the control information for performing the operations ofthe device 2000. The control information determining unit 2300 mayreceive control information from the mobile terminal 1000 regardless ofthe receiving of the product information.

The operation performing unit 2400 performs the operations of the device2000 using the determined control information. The control informationmay include a plurality of control commands, and the operationperforming unit 2400 may perform the operations of the device 2000 bysequentially using the plurality of control commands.

The control unit 2500 controls overall operations of the device 2000,and controls the control information storage unit 2100, the productinformation receiving unit 2200, the control information determiningunit 2300, and the operation performing unit 2400 such that the device2000 performs an operation of processing the product 3000 based on thecontrol information.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 displayinga device list and a product list on a screen and adding the device 2000to the device list, according to an exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18 (a), when a predetermined application is selectedbased on a user input, the selected application may be executed. Whenthe selected application is executed, the devices 2000 in a selectionlist registered in the mobile terminal 1000 may be displayed accordingto manufacturers, as shown in FIG. 18 (b). When an icon for displaying ause history of the devices 2000 is selected in FIG. 18 (b), a list ofproducts 3000 processed according to the devices 2000 may be displayed,as shown in FIG. 18 (c). The user may select a predetermined productfrom a selection list of the products 3000.

When the mobile terminal 1000 is within communication range of arefrigerator terminal (not shown) in FIG. 18 (b), the mobile terminal1000 may receive device information from the refrigerator terminal.Also, as shown in FIG. 18 (d), the refrigerator terminal may be added tothe selection list of the devices 2000.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 displayinga product list and a device list and adding the product 3000 to theproduct list, according to an exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 19 (a), when a predetermined application is selectedbased on a user input, the selected application may be executed. Whenthe selected application is executed, the devices 2000 in a selectionlist registered in the mobile terminal 1000 may be distinguished anddisplayed according to types, as shown in FIG. 19 (b). When an icon fordisplaying a use history of the devices 2000 is selected in FIG. 19 (b),a list of devices 2000 used according to the products 3000 may bedisplayed, as shown in FIG. 19 (c).

When the mobile terminal 1000 is within communication range of a curriedrice product (not shown) in FIG. 19 (b), the mobile terminal 1000 mayreceive product information from a tag in the packaging of the curriedrice. Also, as shown in FIG. 19 (d), the curried rice may be added tothe selection list of the produces 3000.

FIG. 20 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000 receivingcontrol information and providing the received control information tothe device 2000, according to an exemplary embodiment.

When curried rice is selected from a product list for an oven and anicon for downloading control information is selected, as shown in FIG.20 (a), the mobile terminal 1000 may receive control information forcooking the curried rice using the oven from the server 4000, as shownin FIG. 20 (b). When the control information is received, a screen ofthe mobile terminal 1000 may be displayed, as shown in FIG. 20 (c).

Then, when the mobile terminal 1000 is within communication range of theoven, the mobile terminal 1000 may transmit the control information forcooking the curried rice to the oven, as shown in FIG. 20 (d). When thetransmission of the control information is completed, the screen of themobile terminal 1000 may be displayed, as shown in FIG. 20 (e).

FIG. 21 is a diagram for describing the mobile terminal 1000distinguishing and displaying a product that has a control history,according to an exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 21 (a), a predetermined application selected based on auser input may be executed. Also, as shown in FIG. 21 (b), a productlist may be displayed according to devices. Then, when the mobileterminal 1000 is within communication range of the curried rice, thecurried rice may be added to the product list, as shown in FIG. 21 (c).Also, when control information of an oven for cooking the curried riceis stored in the mobile terminal 1000, information about a controlhistory of the curried rice may be displayed in the product list.

The exemplary embodiments and all functional operations described abovemay be implemented using a digital electronic circuit or computersoftware, firmware, or hardware including the structure or an equivalentstructure described herein, or by using a combination thereof.

A computer-readable recording medium may be an arbitrary availablemedium accessible by a computer, and examples thereof include allvolatile and non-volatile media and separable and non-separable media.Further, examples of the computer-readable recording medium may includea computer storage medium and a communication medium. Examples of thecomputer storage medium include all volatile and non-volatile media andseparable and non-separable media, which have been implemented by anarbitrary method or technology, for storing information such ascomputer-readable commands, data structures, program modules, and otherdata. The communication medium typically includes a computer-readablecommand, a data structure, a program module, other data of a modulateddata signal, or another transmission mechanism, and an example thereofincludes an arbitrary information transmission medium.

While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understoodby those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetails may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the following claims. Hence, itwill be understood that the exemplary embodiments described above arenot limiting invention. For example, each component described in asingle type may be executed in a distributed manner, and componentsdescribed distributed may also be executed in an integrated form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims ratherthan by the detailed description of the invention, and it should beunderstood that the claims and all modifications or modified forms drawnfrom the concept of the claims are included in the scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for controlling an electronic appliancethrough a mobile terminal, the system comprising: a server comprising: aprocessor configured to obtain a command that controls the electronicappliance to perform a process on a product, based on device informationof the electronic appliance and product information of the product whichare transmitted from the mobile terminal; and a communication interfaceconfigured to transmit the command to the mobile terminal; and themobile terminal comprising: a communication interface configured toreceive the device information of the electronic appliance from theelectronic appliance, receive the product information of the productfrom the product, and transmit the device information and the productinformation to the server; and a processor configured to provide thecommand to the electronic appliance for causing the electronic applianceto perform the process on the product, wherein the device informationcomprises at least one of an identifier of the electronic appliance andan operational capability of the electronic appliance, and the productinformation comprises at least one of an identifier of the product,processing information for the product, and a property of the product.2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interface of themobile terminal receives the device information using near fieldcommunication (NFC) between the mobile terminal and the electronicappliance.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication interfaceof the mobile terminal receives the device information from an NFC tagof the electronic appliance, and receives the product information froman NFC tag of the product.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the deviceinformation is NFC formatted data and the product information is NFCformatted data.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of themobile terminal provides the command to the electronic appliance usingNFC.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the command is NFC formatteddata.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the serverprovides the command to the mobile terminal as extensible markuplanguage (XML) formatted data, wherein the processor of the mobileterminal converts the command from XML format to NFC format.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the processor of the server determines theprocess to be performed on the product by the electronic appliance basedon the device information and the product information.
 9. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the processor of the server generates the command basedon the process and the device information.
 10. The system of claim 1,wherein the electronic appliance comprises a first electronic device anda second electronic device, wherein the communication interface of themobile terminal receives first device information of the firstelectronic device, and receives second device information of the secondelectronic device, and wherein the processor of the mobile terminalselects one of the first electronic device and the second electronicdevice as a selected electronic device based on the first deviceinformation, the second device information, and the product information,and selects one of the first device information and the second deviceinformation of the selected electronic device as the device information.11. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic appliance comprises afirst electronic device and a second electronic device, wherein thecommunication interface comprised in the mobile terminal receives firstdevice information of the first electronic device, and receives seconddevice information of the second electronic device, wherein the mobileterminal further comprises: a display configured to display a list ofthe first electronic device and the second electronic device; and aninput interface configured to receive an input selecting one of thefirst electronic device and the second electronic device in the list asthe selected electronic device, and wherein the processor of the mobileterminal selects one of the first device information and the seconddevice information of the selected electronic device as the deviceinformation.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the product comprises afirst product and a second product, wherein the communication interfaceof the mobile terminal receives first product information of the firstproduct, and receives second product information of the second product,and wherein the processor of the mobile terminal selects one of thefirst product and the second product as a selected product based on thefirst product information, the second product information, and thedevice information, and selects one of the first product information andthe second product information of the selected product as the productinformation.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the product comprises afirst product and a second product, wherein the communication interfacecomprised in the mobile terminal receives first product information ofthe first product, and receives second product information of the secondproduct, and the mobile terminal further comprises: a display configuredto display a list of the first product and the second product; and aninput interface configured to receive an input selecting one of thefirst product and the second product in the list as the selectedproduct, and wherein the processor of the mobile terminal selects one ofthe first product information and the second product information of theselected product as the product information.
 14. A method forcontrolling an electronic appliance through a mobile terminal, themethod comprising: receiving, by the mobile terminal, device informationof the electronic appliance from the electronic appliance, the deviceinformation comprising at least one of an identifier of the electronicappliance and an operational capability of the electronic appliance;receiving, by the mobile terminal, product information of a product fromthe product, the product information comprising at least one of anidentifier of the product, processing information for the product, and aproperty of the product; transmitting, by the mobile terminal, thedevice information and the product information to a server; obtaining,by the server, a command that controls the electronic appliance toperform a process on the product based on the device information and theproduct information; transmitting, by the server, the command to themobile terminal; providing, by the mobile terminal, the command to theelectronic appliance for causing the electronic appliance to perform theprocess on the product.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving,by the mobile terminal, device information comprises receiving thedevice information using near field communication (NFC) between themobile terminal and the electronic appliance.
 16. The method of claim14, wherein receiving, by the mobile terminal, device informationcomprises receiving the device information from an NFC tag of theelectronic appliance, and wherein receiving, by the mobile terminal,product information comprises receiving the product information from anNFC tag of the product.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the deviceinformation is NFC formatted data and the product information is NFCformatted data.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein providing, by themobile terminal, the command comprises providing the command to theelectronic appliance using NFC.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein thecommand is NFC formatted data.